Corn harvesting machine

ABSTRACT

A total corn plant harvesting machine adapted to separately and concurrently process the grain and stover. In operation, the ears are picked from the stalks, the husks are removed, and the kernels are separated from the cob; the stalks are severed from the ground and fed into a chopping mechanism along with the husks and cobs. The chopped stover can be deposited on the ground or stored in an adjacent container, while the grain can be cracked and mixed with the chopped stover or stored in a separate adjacent container.

United States Patent Soteropulos [451 Aug. 1, 1972 [54] CORN HARVESTINGMACHINE Primary Examiner-Louis G. Mancene Assistant Examiner-Jack G.Lever, Jr. [72] lnvemor' Gust smeropulos Onumwa Iowa Attorney-4i. V.Harsha, Harold M. Knoth, William A. [73] Assignee: Deere & Company,Moline, Ill. Murray and John M. Nolan 0 1 2? Ti. 22.; I 1 pp A total complant harvesting machine adapted to separately and concurrently processthe grain and US. Cl. "56/1403, stoven In operation the ears are pickedfrom the 56/16-6 stalks, the husks are removed, and the kernels are Cl...Aold separated from the cob; the stalks are evered from [58] Field ofSearch ..56/l3.9, 14.3-14.6, the ground and f into a chopping mechanismalong 56/135 130/6 with the husks and cobs. The chopped stover can bedeposited on the ground or stored in an adjacent con- .[56] Referencescued tainer, while the grain can be cracked and mixed with UNITED STATESPATENTS 21: tciirogped stover or stored in a separate adjacent 3,513,6465/1970 Johnston et a] ..56/l6.6 3,298,162 1/1967 Medd ..56/l3.9 17Claims, 3 i g ig s 2,467,790 4/1949 Welty ..56/ 14.3

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SHEET 3 OF 3 1 N VENTOR. G. SOTEROPULOS CORN HARVESTING MACHINEBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to cropharvesting machines and more particularly to a corn harvesting machinefor separately processing both the grain and stover.

According to a currently common method of harvesting com, the ears areremoved from the stalks and the latter are left in the field along withthe cobs and husks. The remaining stover, i.e., stalks, cobs and husks,has commonly been used either for winter beef cow pasturage or as a soilnutrient. In either case, it is generally viewed as nuisance field trashduring subsequent tillage and planting operations unless chopped in aseparate operation.

In view of the projected increase in the number and size of beef cowherds in the corn belt states, there is an increasing need for moreefficient utilization of the entire corn plant. Studies have indicatedthat the stover can be more efficiently utilized in connection withcertain beef cow feeding operations if it is harvested along with thegrain. For example, it has been found that under certain conditionsharvested stover can be more economically used either as feed, or asbedding in areas where other bedding materials are scarce. Therelatively low feed value of stover can be increased as desired by theaddition of a grain supplement, such as shelled corn. In connection withthe latter, it is well known to crack the kernels prior to theiraddition to the stover, due to the substantially greater digestibility,and resulting higher feed value, of cracked over uncracked kernels.

Although stover can be harvested with currently available machines, theresults obtained are usually of poor quality and the operation isgenerally expensive and time consuming. For example, a conventionalforage harvester or baler with flail-type pickup can be used to harveststover, though an undesirable quantity of dirt is normally introducedinto the harvested material and an additional pass over the field isrequired under this method. An alternate approach is toadapt aconventional combine to chop the stover simultaneously with the regularcombining operation. Although this approach obviates the need for aseparate pass, it results in greatly reduced combining capacity due tothe additional power requirement of l the chopping mechanism. Also, dueto the width of the conventional self-propelled combine, it cannot beused to harvest narrow row corn without running over adjacent rowsunless it is adapted to receive at least three or four rows. Inaddition, the conventional rotary cutter used for chopping forage, suchas that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,377,785 issued April 16, 1968 toKessler, cannot effectively accommodate more than three rows of cornbecause of the limited width of its chopping cylinder. The obvioussolution, a wider chopping cylinder, is not satisfactory due to thedifficult problems of balance and knife construction which arise in themanufacture of such a chopping cylinder, and the resultant increase incost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, accordingly, an object of the presentinvention to provide a corn harvesting machine capable of harvesting thestover in addition to and simultaneously with the grain. It is anotherobject to provide such a machine that can accommodate two or more rows.It is yet another object to provide such a machine which is highlyversatile in operation.

The harvesting machine of the present invention includes two separateprocessing systems, one for grain and the other for stover. The grainsystem includes a mechanism which first removes the ears from the stalksin a well known manner, then removes the husks from the ears and feedsthe latter into a shelling device where the kernels are separated fromthe cob. Concurrently with the foregoing, the stalks are severed fromthe ground and fed rearwardly to a chopping mechanism. A pair oftransversely aligned, cylindrical chopping cylinders, each capable ofaccommodating at least two rows of corn in a single pass, are employed.The stalks, along with the cobs and husks, are chopped,

then conveyed either to an adjacent container or back to the ground,depending on the preference of the operator. The grain may be eithermixed with the chopped stover in the adjacent container, as a feedsupplement, or stored in a separate container carried by the machine. Aset of adjustable cracking rollers are included to crack the kernels andthereby increase their feed value, if the grainis to be used for feedpurposes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a somewhat schematic planview of the corn harvesting machine of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a somewhat schematic side view of the machine with portionsbroken away to more clearly illustrate the harvesting mechanism andgrain storage tank.

FIG. 3 is a partial section view taken generally along the line 33 ofFIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The corn harvesting machineillustrated has a mobile frame 10 supported in a conventional manner onfront drive wheels 12 and rear steerable wheels 14. Power is furnishedto the front drive wheels and the various operating components of theharvester by an internalcombustion engine 16 carried by the frameintermediate the front and rear wheels. An operators platform 18 issituated above and slightly behind the front wheels.

A gathering head 20, capable of accommodating four rows of corn, ismounted on the front of the machine and includes five snout portions 22,which define four fore-and-aft passages which respectively receive thecorn stalks in four adjacent rows as the machine advances. A pair ofsnapping rolls 24 are carried between adjacent portions 22 on oppositesides of the passages, and, as the machine advances, the snapping rolls24 operate in a well known manner to pick the ears from the stalks.

A chain link conveyor 26 receives the ears from the rolls 24 and carriesthem upwardly and rearwardly to a conventional husking bed 28, whichstrips the husks from the ears. The husks are discharged into a chute 30directly below the husking bed, and the stripped ears are deposited intoa transverse auger 32, which conveys them to the inlet portion (notshown) of a shelling unit 34. The unit 34 is of more or lessconventional design and includes a perforated cylindrical chamber 36hav-- the opposite end. A cylindrical rotor 40, having rigid projections42 arranged in spiral paths about its outer circumference, is rotatablymounted within the chamber 36. The rotor 40 drives the ears around aspiral path while separating the kernels from the cob.

As they are separated, the kernels fall through the perforations in thewall of the chamber 36 to a receiving trough 44 below the unit 34, andthe cobs are carried to the chamber outlet 38 where they are receivedand conveyed forwardly into chute 30 by an auger 46. The grain collectedin the trough 44 falls between front and rear, transverse crackingrollers 48 and 50, respectively, shown in FIG. 2 in their engagedposition. The adjustably mounted front roller 48 can be shifted from itsengaged position with the rear roller 50 to a disengaged position shownin phantom in FIG. 2, or to any position therebetween. The rollers 48and 50 are respectively driven in counterclockwise and clockwisedirections, as viewed in FIG. 2, and when the roller 48 is in itsengaged position, the rollers cooperate to crack and reduce the kernelspassing therebetween.

The grain passing through the rollers 48 and 50 is received by atransverse auger 52, which carries it to a central discharge area 54.The discharge area 54 communicates with the lower end portion of arearwardly inclined elevating auger 56 which elevates the grain to aswingable outlet spout 58 extending outwardly. and downwardly from theupper end portion of the auger 56. The spout 58 is swingable on ahorizontal shoulder 59 on the upper end of the auger 56, between a reardischarge position, shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and a side dischargeposition, shown in phantom in FIG. 1. The grain may thus be directedeither to a grain storage tank 60 mounted on the rear of the machine, orto an adjacent wagon 62 moving alongside the machine.

A horizontal discharge auger 64 extends between the lower outlet 66 inthe grain tank 60 and the lower inlet portion 67 of the elevating auger56. When the spout 58 is in its side discharge position, the grain inthe tank 60 can thus be removed to an adjacent storage container throughthe augers 64 and 56.

Shortly after their engagement by the snapping rolls 24, the corn stalksin each fore-and-aft passage are severed from the ground by aconventional reciprocating .cutter mechanism 68 disposed rearwardly ofthe forwardmost portion of each set of snapping rolls. A belt-gatheringdevice 70 in each passage, illustrated best in FIG. 3, engages each cornstalk just before it is severed and conveys the severed stalk rearwardlywhile the snapping rolls remove the ears. The particular gatheringdevice utilized is illustrated in detail in US. Pat. No. 3,339,354issued Sept. 5, 1967 to Kessler.

A forward set of cooperating, axially transverse feed rolls 72 and 74receive the stalks from two adjacent gathering devices 70 and directthem rearwardly through a rear set of feed rolls 76 and 78 into achopping unit 80. As shown in FIG. 3, a separate chopping unit and setof front and rear guide rollers is provided on each side of the machineto accommodate the stalks from two rows. Each unit 80 comprises arotatable chopping cylinder 82 having a plurality of knives 84 affixedto its outer circumference, and a cooperating stationary shear bar 86.Each chopping cylinder 82 is mounted within a housing 88 which collectsthe chopped material.

As shown in FIG. 2, the chute 30, which receives both the husks from thehusking rolls 28 and the cobs from the shelling unit 34, has a lowerdischarge portion 90 which extends between one pair of the upper frontand rear feed rolls 72 and 76, respectively. The husks and cobs are thusfed into one of the chopping units along with the stalks.

A transverse auger 92 in the lower rear portion of the housing 88normally conveys the chopped stover to a side-mounted centrifugal blower94 which in turn propels it through an upwardly and outwardly extendingdischarge tube 96 into the adjacent wagon 62. If it is desired insteadto return the stover to the ground, a hinged door 98, extending theentire width of the machine beneath the auger 92, may be opened as shownin phantom in FIG. 2.

It should be recognized from the structure described that the presentinvention is a highly versatile machine. providing the operator with anumber of different harvesting options. With the spout 58 directedrearwardly, the cracking rollers 48 and 50 disengaged, and the door 98closed, the operator can harvest the grain as a cash crop and the stoverfor use as feed, with or without the subsequent addition of a nutritivesupplement, or as bedding material. With the spout 58 directed to theside and the rollers 48 and 50 engaged, the grain can be rolled toimprove its digestibility, then added immediately to the stover in theadjacent wagon 62 to improve its feed value. Or, if desired, the machinecan be operated more or less as a conventional combine with corn headattachment, if it is desired to harvest none or only a portion of thestover, merely by opening the door 98 beneath the transverse auger 92,thus distributing the chopped stover to the ground. An advantage isrealized over the conventional combine in the latter case, however, inthat subsequent tillage problems normally arising from the presence ofthe stover in the field are eliminated without the requirement of aseparate chopping operation.

Although the machine illustrated is designed to accommodate four rows ofcorn, it should be recognized that the provision of two separatechopping units 80 renders the basic machine capable of accommodating upto six rows with the substitution of a higher capacity gathering head20.

I claim:

1. A com plant harvesting mechanism comprising: a mobile frame adaptedto advance along a row of corn plants; picking means mounted forwardlyon the frame for receiving the plants in said row and removing the earsfrom the stalks; processing means mounted on the frame for receiving theears from the picking means and removing the kernels from the cobs;means for receiving the kernels from the processing means andselectively operable to crack said kernels; cutting means mountedforwardly on the frame for severing the stalks of the plants in said rowfrom the field; stalk conveyor means for receiving the stalks from thecutting means andconveying them rearwardly substantially simultaneouslywith the removal of the ears therefrom by the picking means; andchopping means mounted on the frame for receiving the stalks from theconveyor means and reducing said stalks following removal of the earstherefrom by the picking means.

2. The invention defined in claim 1 including husking means mounted onthe frame for receiving the ears from the picking means and removing thehusks therefrom.

3. The invention defined in claim 2 including husk conveyor means forreceiving the husks from the husking means and conveying them to thechopping means to be reduced simultaneously with the stalks.

4. The invention defined in claim 1 including cob conveyor means forreceiving the cobs from the processing means and conveying them to thechopping means to be reduced simultaneously with the stalks.

5. The invention defined in claim 1 including means for receiving thereduced stalks from the chopping means and conveying them either to anadjacent first container or to the ground.

6. The invention defined in claim 5 including means for receiving thekernels from the processing means and conveying them either to saidfirst container to be mixed with the reduced stalks or to an adjacentsecond container.

7. A com plant harvesting machine comprising: a mobile frame adapted toadvance along a row of corn plants; picking means mounted forwardly onthe frame for receiving the plants in said row and removing the earsfrom the stalks; processing means mounted on the frame for receiving theears from the picking means and removing the kernels from the cobs;cutting means mounted forwardly on the frame for severing the stalks ofthe plants in said row from the field; stalk conveyor means forreceiving the stalks from the cutting means and conveying themrearwardly substantially simultaneously with the removal of the earstherefrom by the picking means; chopping means mounted on the frame forreceiving the stalks from the conveyor means and reducing said stalksfollowing removal of the ears therefrom by the picking means; and cobconveyor means for receiving the cobs from the processing means anddirecting them into the chopping means to be reduced simultaneously withthe stalks.

8. The invention defined in claim 7 including husking means mounted onthe frame for receiving the ears from the picking means and removing thehusks therefrom, and husk conveyor means for receiving the husks fromthe husking means and directing them into the chopping means to bereduced simultaneously with the stalks and cobs.

9. The invention defined in claim 7 including means selectively operableto crack the kernels after their removal from the cobs by the processingmeans.

10. The invention defined in claim 7 including means for receiving thereduced stalks and cobs from the chopping means and conveying them to anadjacent first container, and means for receiving the kernels from theprocessing means and conveying them either to said first container to bemixed with the reduced stalks and cobs or to an adjacent secondcontainer.

11. A com harvesting machine comprising: a mobile frame adapted toadvance along a plurality of corn rows; picking means mounted forwardlyon the frame for receiving the plants in the rows and removing the earsfrom the stalks; processing means mounted on the frame for receivingtheears from the picking means and removing the kernels from the cobs;cutting means mounted on the frame for severing the stalks from theground; chopping means mounted on the frame for receiving the stalksfrom the cutting means and reducing said stalks after the ears have beenremoved; stover conveyor means for selectively conveying the choppedmaterial from said chopping means either to an adjacent first containeror to the ground; and grain conveyor means for selectively deliveringthe kernels from the processing means to either said first container tobe mixed with the chopped material from the chopping means, or to anadjacent second container.

12. The invention defined in claim 11 wherein said grain conveyor meanscomprises; an elevating section having an upper outlet portion and alower inlet portion communicating with said processing means and adaptedto receive kernels therefrom; and an outwardly extending dischargesection mounted on said upper outlet portion for rotation about agenerally vertical axis between alternate discharge positions associatedwith said first and second containers, respectively.

13. The invention defined in claim 12 wherein said second containerincludes a lower outlet portion, and further including conveyor meansextending between said lower outlet portion and the lower inlet portionof said grain conveyor means, whereby the kernels held in said secondcontainer can be selectively conveyed from said container to said grainconveyor means.

14. A com harvesting machine comprising: a mobile frame adapted toadvance along a plurality of corn rows; picking means mounted forwardlyon the frame for receiving the plants in the rows and removing the earsfrom the stalks; processing means mounted on the frame for receiving theears from the picking means and removing the kernels from the cobs;cutting means mounted on the frame for severing the stalks from theground; chopping means mounted on the frame for receiving the stalksfrom the cutting means and reducing said stalks after the ears have beenremoved therefrom; and conveyor means-on said frame selectively operableto convey the kernels and the reduced stalks from the processing meansand chopping means, respectively, either to separate areas or to acommon container.

15. The invention defined in claim 14 wherein said conveyor meanscomprises stover conveyor means selectively operable to convey saidreduced stalks either to an adjacent first container or to the ground,and grain conveyor means selectively operable to convey said kernels toeither said first container to be mixed with said reduced stalks or toan adjacent second container.

16. A com harvesting machine comprising: a mobile frame adapted toadvance along a plurality of corn rows; picking means mounted forwardlyon the frame for receiving the plants in the rows and removing the earsfrom the stalks; processing means mounted on the frame for receiving theears from the picking means and removing the kernels from the cobs;cutting means mounted on the frame for severing the stalks forming therows from the field; a pair of transversely aligned chopping cylindersmounted on the machine for reducing the stalks following removal of theears therefrom by the picking means; conveyor means for receiving thestalks from the cutting means and conveying at least two rows thereofinto each of said chopping cylinders to be simultaneously reducedthereby; stover conveyor means for selectively conveying the reducedstalks from the chopping cylinders either to a first container or to theground; and grain conveyor means for selectively conveying the kernelsfrom the processing means to either said first container to be mixedwith the mounted on the frame for severing the stalks forming the rowsfrom the field; a pair of transversely aligned chopping cylindersmounted on the machine for reducing the stalks following removal of theears therefrom by the picking means; stalk conveyor means for receivingthe stalks from the cutting means and conveying at least two rowsthereof into each of said chopping cylinders to be simultaneouslyreduced thereby; and cob conveyor means for receiving the cobs from theprocessing means and directing them into the chopping cylinders to bereduced simultaneously with the stalks.

1. A corn plant harvesting mechanism comprising: a mobile frame adaptedto advance along a row of corn plants; picking means mounted forwardlyon the frame for receiving the plants in said row and removing the earsfrom the stalks; processing means mounted on the frame for receiving theears from the picking means and removing the kernels from the cobs;means for receiving the kernels from the processing means andselectively operable to crack said kernels; cutting means mountedforwardly on the frame for severing the stalks of the plants in said rowfrom the field; stalk conveyor means for receiving the stalks from thecutting means and conveying them rearwardly substantially simultaneouslywith the removal of the ears therefrom by the picking means; andchopping means mounted on the frame for receiving the stalks from theconveyor means and reducing said stalks following removal of the earstherefrom by the picking means.
 2. The invention defined in claim 1including husking means mounted on the frame for receiving the ears fromthe picking means and removing the husks therefrom.
 3. The inventiondefined in claim 2 including husk conveyor means for receiving the husksfrom the husking means and conveying them to the chopping means to bereduced simultaneously with the stalks.
 4. The invention defined inclaim 1 including cob conveyor means for receiving the cobs from theprocessing means and conveying them to the chopping means to be reducedsimultaneously with the stalks.
 5. The invention defined in claim 1including means for receiving the reduced stalks from the chopping meansand conveying them either to an adjacent first container or to theground.
 6. The invention defined in claim 5 including means forreceiving the kernels from the processing means and conveying themeither to said first container to be mixed with the reduced stalks or toan adjacent second container.
 7. A corn plant harvesting machinecomprising: a mobile frame adapted to advance along a row of cornplants; picking means mounted forwardly on the frame for receiving theplants in said row and removing the ears from the stalks; processingmeans mounted on the frame for receiving the ears from the picking meansand removing the kernels from the cobs; cutting means mounted forwardlyon the frame for severing the stalks of the plants in said row from thefield; stalk conveyor means for receiving the stalks from the cuttingmeans and conveying them rearwardly substantially simultaneously withthe removal of the ears therefrom by the picking means; chopping meansmounted on the frame for receiving the stalks from the conveyor meansand reducing said stalks following removal of the ears therefroM by thepicking means; and cob conveyor means for receiving the cobs from theprocessing means and directing them into the chopping means to bereduced simultaneously with the stalks.
 8. The invention defined inclaim 7 including husking means mounted on the frame for receiving theears from the picking means and removing the husks therefrom, and huskconveyor means for receiving the husks from the husking means anddirecting them into the chopping means to be reduced simultaneously withthe stalks and cobs.
 9. The invention defined in claim 7 including meansselectively operable to crack the kernels after their removal from thecobs by the processing means.
 10. The invention defined in claim 7including means for receiving the reduced stalks and cobs from thechopping means and conveying them to an adjacent first container, andmeans for receiving the kernels from the processing means and conveyingthem either to said first container to be mixed with the reduced stalksand cobs or to an adjacent second container.
 11. A corn harvestingmachine comprising: a mobile frame adapted to advance along a pluralityof corn rows; picking means mounted forwardly on the frame for receivingthe plants in the rows and removing the ears from the stalks; processingmeans mounted on the frame for receiving the ears from the picking meansand removing the kernels from the cobs; cutting means mounted on theframe for severing the stalks from the ground; chopping means mounted onthe frame for receiving the stalks from the cutting means and reducingsaid stalks after the ears have been removed; stover conveyor means forselectively conveying the chopped material from said chopping meanseither to an adjacent first container or to the ground; and grainconveyor means for selectively delivering the kernels from theprocessing means to either said first container to be mixed with thechopped material from the chopping means, or to an adjacent secondcontainer.
 12. The invention defined in claim 11 wherein said grainconveyor means comprises; an elevating section having an upper outletportion and a lower inlet portion communicating with said processingmeans and adapted to receive kernels therefrom; and an outwardlyextending discharge section mounted on said upper outlet portion forrotation about a generally vertical axis between alternate dischargepositions associated with said first and second containers,respectively.
 13. The invention defined in claim 12 wherein said secondcontainer includes a lower outlet portion, and further includingconveyor means extending between said lower outlet portion and the lowerinlet portion of said grain conveyor means, whereby the kernels held insaid second container can be selectively conveyed from said container tosaid grain conveyor means.
 14. A corn harvesting machine comprising: amobile frame adapted to advance along a plurality of corn rows; pickingmeans mounted forwardly on the frame for receiving the plants in therows and removing the ears from the stalks; processing means mounted onthe frame for receiving the ears from the picking means and removing thekernels from the cobs; cutting means mounted on the frame for severingthe stalks from the ground; chopping means mounted on the frame forreceiving the stalks from the cutting means and reducing said stalksafter the ears have been removed therefrom; and conveyor means on saidframe selectively operable to convey the kernels and the reduced stalksfrom the processing means and chopping means, respectively, either toseparate areas or to a common container.
 15. The invention defined inclaim 14 wherein said conveyor means comprises stover conveyor meansselectively operable to convey said reduced stalks either to an adjacentfirst container or to the ground, and grain conveyor means selectivelyoperable to convey said kernels to either said first container to bemixed with said reduced stalks or to an adjacent second container.
 16. Acorn harvesting machine comprising: a mobile frame adApted to advancealong a plurality of corn rows; picking means mounted forwardly on theframe for receiving the plants in the rows and removing the ears fromthe stalks; processing means mounted on the frame for receiving the earsfrom the picking means and removing the kernels from the cobs; cuttingmeans mounted on the frame for severing the stalks forming the rows fromthe field; a pair of transversely aligned chopping cylinders mounted onthe machine for reducing the stalks following removal of the earstherefrom by the picking means; conveyor means for receiving the stalksfrom the cutting means and conveying at least two rows thereof into eachof said chopping cylinders to be simultaneously reduced thereby; stoverconveyor means for selectively conveying the reduced stalks from thechopping cylinders either to a first container or to the ground; andgrain conveyor means for selectively conveying the kernels from theprocessing means to either said first container to be mixed with thereduced stalks, or to a second container.
 17. A corn harvesting machinecomprising: a mobile frame adapted to advance along a plurality of cornrows; picking means mounted forwardly on the frame for receiving theplants in the rows and removing the ears from the stalks; processingmeans mounted on the frame for receiving the ears from the picking meansand removing the kernels from the cobs; cutting means mounted on theframe for severing the stalks forming the rows from the field; a pair oftransversely aligned chopping cylinders mounted on the machine forreducing the stalks following removal of the ears therefrom by thepicking means; stalk conveyor means for receiving the stalks from thecutting means and conveying at least two rows thereof into each of saidchopping cylinders to be simultaneously reduced thereby; and cobconveyor means for receiving the cobs from the processing means anddirecting them into the chopping cylinders to be reduced simultaneouslywith the stalks.